This is last night’s “Long Night Moon,” aka “Cold Moon” or “Moon before the Yule.” Its name comes from the fact that it is the full moon which spends the longest time all year in the sky (when night is the longest), its trajectory pitched the highest. As the day lengthens after the Winter Solstice, the path of the moon lowers as we approach the longest day (and shortest night) on the Summer Solstice.

This is last night’s “Long Night Moon” which stopped us in our tracks as we were loading groceries into the car, catching up on family stories, discussing our weekend plans. As we stood in the parking lot, it worked hard to shine through the mist and clouds and, grabbing our attention, left us breathless.